


all in my head (is it real?)

by etherealvisionary



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Student/Teacher, Confusion, Domestic Wayhaught, F/F, Fluff, Kittens, No Champ Hardy, POV Female Character, Sexuality Crisis, Slow Burn, Teacher-Student Relationship, WayHaught Fluff, Wayhaught - Freeform, Wayhaught endgame, also I think I'm gay call you later?, champ who?, cuddles!!, searching for self, who knows when they'll act on their feelings for each other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-05-21 07:25:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14910956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/etherealvisionary/pseuds/etherealvisionary
Summary: Waverly Earp had never understood it. She didn’t understand how people could have a teacher crush… until her senior year, that is.-------Everyone says that teacher crushes are common and normal, but Waverly knows that liking this woman  is not just a age-and-stage coincidence. She discovers what it's like to love someone she knows she can't be with.. (or can she?)





	1. discoveries and delusions

**Author's Note:**

> H! This is my first time writing a fic.. I absolutely adore Wayhaught and thought I'd give it a shot and see where it goes. Comments are absolutely welcomed, thank you!

Waverly Earp had never understood it. She didn’t understand how people could have a teacher crush… until her senior year, that is.

Nicole Haught was fairly new to Waverly’s school. This would be her 2nd year teaching in the Canadian History department and Waverly had been enrolled in her class for the fall semester of her senior year in high school. 

At first, it was a little feeling of attraction that Waverly hardly even noticed. It was a small thought the back of her mind that she found the young teacher beautiful. She had only recently even discovered that she felt attracted to girls, but she kind of ignored those thoughts for… reasons. She was already disliked in her school due to the fact of her family’s past in hunting demons and stirring up paranormal drama in the small town, and she had worked so hard to make the Earp name a positive label on her own. She was ranked first in her class rankings, had joined and worked her way to a Captain’s role on the cheerleading team, acted optimistic in the face of any and every piece of hatred thrown her way, and somehow had accomplished getting most of the whole school to like her--she even got a sash for being the Nicest Person in Purgatory. 

Any feelings of attraction she had towards girls were hidden immediately because of just that. She had worked so hard to make a name for herself. Not to mention she had been dating her boyfriend, Champ Hardy, who was the captain of the football team and ranked first in the nation for rodeo bull riding, for almost 4 years now. Granted, Champ was a bit of a dick, but Waverly had dated him all through her high school years and before this point, felt like she was just going to have to settle for being with him for the rest of her life. 

Before she met Nicole Haught, that is. 

Waverly kept realizing the attraction she felt continued to grow into a full blown crush as she spent more time around her. Waverly’s older sister Wynonna and Nicole Haught had become good friends when she first transferred to Purgatory, and that led to many nights of Wynonna and Nicole going out to bars together or just hanging out at the homestead where the Earp sisters lived. It caught her by surprise really, but the more she thought about the red head, the more she became undeniably attracted to her. She knew she was in trouble, because before she knew it she was zoning out every day just by being mesmerized by her teacher’s intoxicatingly beautiful laugh and soft glowing red hair. 

Waverly didn’t tag along with her sister and Nicole’s outings due to their positions at school, but she sometimes watched movies with them at the homestead. She was always way too distracted by Nicole to actually pay attention to the movie, but she did her best to keep her eyes on the screen so that she wouldn’t expose herself. Her mind always traveled to a place where her and Nicole could have date nights alone watching movies and cuddling, laughing and talking about characters they connected with.

Inappropriate and irrational. That’s what her conscious kept telling her this situation was. Waverly was a student and Nicole was a teacher… but was it really so far out there to think about having a relationship with her? Waverly turned 18 a month ago on September 8th, and Nicole was only 24. She knew it was strictly prohibited to have a relationship between a teacher and a student in school, but what about after? Waverly would be graduating soon an-

 _Stop it._ Waverly mentally scolded herself. _You’re acting like she would even like you back. Which she wouldn’t. It’s never going to happen. Don’t be naive, you need to just get over it already. Besides, you have a boyfriend._

Waverly’s thoughts were interrupted by the ending class bell ringing over her head. She sighed when she realized that she had zoned out through the majority of her math period.  


_Oh well,_ she thought, _I’m already a week ahead in that class anyway._

She quickly packed up her textbook and binders in her bag before entering the hallway in pursuit of her last period: Ms. Haught’s history class. It was the one part of the day she always looked forward to. As she entered the class and pulled out her needed materials, she couldn’t help but smile at the scene across the room. While waiting for students to file in, Ms. Haught was standing in the doorway talking to another teacher and laughing. 

_Her laugh is just so infectious…. Wow, she looks so pretty… Damnit Waverly, you have GOT to stop doing this._

The overhead bell rang again, signaling that everyone should already be in their next class, and Waverly pretended to be signing into her laptop as she watched Nicole say goodbye to the teacher and close the door, preparing to begin teaching her own class. 

“Alright guys, so today we’re going to be reviewing yesterday’s lesson on the First Nations”....

**********

It wasn’t long before the end of class came, but Waverly didn’t immediately get up when the bell rang. She kind of had a habit of staying after school for a little while every day with Nicole.

“Hey Ms. Haught, do you have a few minutes to stay if I finish up this paper?” Waverly asked from her seat in front of Ms. Haught’s desk as the rest of the other students were filing out of the room.

Nicole raised an eyebrow as she glanced to the door to confirm that everyone had left and they were the only two in her room.

“Of course it’s okay, Waves,” she laughed, “You stay after almost every day.”

“Hmm,” Waverly grinned at the nickname as she looked down and kept writing the rest of her short answer question, “must be something about the good company.”

Nicole laughed as she sat back down at her desk and shook her head, continuing to type away at her emails.

Waverly attempted to focus back on the questions at hand, but she found herself in a battle with her mind, which was so far distracted by Nicole that she couldn’t even begin to process whatever this stupid assignment was asking about the First Nations.

After another several minutes of pretending to finish her work, Waverly bullshitted an answer and turned the assignment into the box. 

“Did you find a home for that kitten yet?” Waverly asked Nicole while packing up her laptop and binder. 

She was referring to a conversation Nicole had at her house last week with Wynonna. Nicole had rescued a stray cat that was stuck in the woods and apparently in really rough shape. She very passionately told Wynonna and Waverly how she was nursing the kitten back to health, intending to find a good home for it. 

_Could she be ANY more perfect?! _Waverly thought as she gave Nicole her full undivided attention.__

“Don’t even think about it.” Wynonna had said to Waverly as soon as she saw her face soften and light up at the idea of a kitten in need of a home. (Little did she know she was actually swooning at the idea of Nicole saving said kitten from harm, but what Wynonna doesn’t know won’t kill her, right?)

“I actually haven’t even advertised,” Nicole said, pulling Waverly from her thoughts from that day and back to the conversation at hand. “In the few weeks that I’ve been taking care of her, I became more attached than I expected. I think I might just end up keeping her.” Nicole seemingly smiled at the thought of owning a pet. She had mentioned before that she always had pets growing up and now, living alone, she really missed the company of a fur baby.

“That’s really sweet,” Waverly smiled at her. “I can’t imagine she could find a more loving home. Lord knows she’s about to be spoiled for the rest of her days,” she tried to be a little flirty with her tone as she grinned at the woman.

Nicole laughed and muttered a, “I can’t disagree with you there,” as she shut down her computer and packed up her purse with the tests she had to finish grading at home. 

Waverly’s heart rate was already suffering at close-to-cardiac-arrest speeds in result of their simple conversation, so she walked to the door in preparation to leave and head for cheer practice. Technically the captain should be early to practice, not 20 minutes late, but Waverly cold easily use the excuse of “Studies before Sports.” She didn’t get to be the top of her class by waving pom poms for the old horndogs at Purgatory’s football games. 

“Alright well I have to head out.. I’ll see you tomorrow?” Waverly said softly as Nicole approached the door where she was standing, ready to leave as well. 

“You’ll see me tonight actually,” Nicole mentioned, “Wynonna bought some gunslinger marathon she wanted to watch.. She really has a thing for gunslingers doesn’t she?”  
Waverly never thought she’d ever thank Wynonna for her choice in friends, seeing as her track record has been less than stellar in the past, but in that moment she silently thanked Wynonna with everything in her for her latest choice in friends.

Waverly laughed and shook her head, turning to Nicole and facing her in the doorway, “You’d think with how many of those movies she’s seen, she’d get tired of them. I’m have afraid she’s going to have a bad dream one night and inadvertently shoot me in her sleep.”

“Well we definitely wouldn’t want that. I’ll consider influencing her to start watching more.. uplifting films.” Nicole chuckled and continued to smile at her.

They were awfully close standing in that doorway. Too close for Waverly’s brain or speaking capability to function… especially when Nicole was looking at her with her soft brown eyes that seemed to sparkle, along with those perfect lips that sat between the dimples on her cheeks. Of COURSE she had dimples… Waverly was SUCH a sucker for dimples.

 _I have never felt this way before. Why does she make me so damn nervous?_ Waverly thought as they stood staring at each other for a second too long. Waverly’s heart rate picked up even more, if that was even possible.

_Did she just…. Glance at my lips?!_

“Well,” Nicole suddenly cleared her throat a bit as she turned to close the door and lock it. “Have fun at practice, and I’ll see you tonight.” 

Weird that she only said me.. When she’s really only supposed to be coming to see Wynonna.  
_You’re so delusional, Waverly. Shut up._

“Yeah absolutely, see you then,” Waverly bit her lip as she watched Nicole walk the opposite direction towards the teachers’ parking lot.

Waverly tried to regain composure and walk the opposite direction to the gym where her practice was being held. 

_This crush is going to be the death of me._


	2. conflicts and crowds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends! I'm back with a chapter 5 times longer than the first, BUT before you all yell at me---- Yes I am quite aware this is not a Champ and Waverly fic. (yuck) The purpose is to provide some background and bring some of Waverly's insecurities to light. Wayhaught will rise, bear with me. 
> 
> ALSO-- I didn't change ratings or anything because I didn't describe anything triggering (I hope) but there are some actions of Champ being forceful and I don't want anyone to have any problems with that, so please be warned and advised :)
> 
> Thank you so much for your comments!

Waverly didn’t know why she felt so conflicted.

It was 5:45pm on Friday night and she had just gotten home from cheerleading practice. She only had a few free Fridays left before football games started up, and she originally had plans with Champ tonight because he wanted to go to see a movie. Date nights between them were rare at best so she thought she really should go with him, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up knowing the night would probably end with Champ giving up on the movie and dragging her to some shit hole party to get drunk. Therefore, you can only assume how much Waverly would much rather spend the night watching a gunslinger marathon with Wynonna and Nicole instead. 

_You need tonight with Champ to get your mind off of.. recent developments.. and reconnect with him,_ Waverly thought. 

_Reconnect with what?_ She debated within her own mind, _all he does is drink, talk about football or the rodeo, and have sloppy sex in the back of his pickup truck._

_Oh stop it, you love him. He stuck with you through these past four years when no one else liked you. Who else would have dated your Earp ass? All you need is some time with him to get your mind off of your irrational crush on Ms. Haught._

_...But is it really so bad to want to curl up at home and watch movies instead? In a perfect world, I could just do that with my sister and my significant other and-_

“Hey babygirl,” Wynonna interrupted Waverly’s internal debate, popping her head into her sister’s bedroom door to look at her sitting on the bed, still dressed in her outfit from practice, “what are your plans for tonight? Nicole and I are gonna watch some movies at home. You’re welcome to join if it’s not too awkward,” Wynonna chuckled

“No it’s not awkward at all, I think we’re both comfortable with the whole ‘friends outside of school’ thing,” Waverly gave her sister a small smile, secretly hoping in her mind that Nicole was actually comfortable with it so she wasn't just making that up, “but I actually have plans with Champ tonight”

 _Well, I guess you made your choice.. hope you don’t regret it,_ Waverly’s mind offered up.

Wynonna hummed and narrowed her eyes a little. 

“He’s still a good guy right? He’s treating you right?” Wynonna questioned her little sister. 

Waverly had lived with her Aunt Gus until about 2 years ago when Wynonna came back into her life from her own travels away from home. Wynonna and Waverly moved in together and were close again like they were when they were little, but Wynonna had missed out on a lot of her life. Therefore, Wynonna had only met Champ a few times and didn’t get to know him as well as she would have liked.

In all honesty, Waverly had never told Wynonna about the two times she had caught him cheating on her because she knew that Wynonna could easily destroy him in a matter of seconds, and that she absolutely would if given the motivation, but Waverly also wanted to overlook those mistakes for the sake of that underlying fear: That he was the only one that ever loved her, and he is the only one that ever will.

_But does he even love you? He seems to only care about sex._

_Maybe some people just show their affections more physically than others._

_It’s been FOUR YEARS, Waverly. When is the last time you guys sat and just talked about things?_

_Psh, that shit’s for the romance movies. No one sits and talks about feelings, or feels fire with their touch, or feels like that person is their other half…. Or maybe it’s just you. Maybe sex is the only thing Champ wants from you because it’s the only thing you have to offer._

It was a constant internal battle, really. Waverly has wrestled around with her insecurity for her entire life. That sense of “not good enough” had always inhabited in her. Waverly forced herself every single day to put on a happy facade and act like everything was perfect in her world. 

She never told anyone about the pain she really felt. She had been struggling with heightened anxiety and depression lately, and the agonizing loneliness that resided within her was almost unbearable at times. Waverly could be in a room chock-full of fantastic people, and yet she still felt alone. She could be having sex with Champ, and still feel so unsatisfied and empty. Her mind kept telling her it was her fault. She wishes the voices in her head would just shut up and let her deal with it but then again, she didn’t think she could actually handle the silence.

Since she normally shared everything with her sister, she had shared some a few of these things with Wynonna in small doses, but she had definitely not told her the extent of it all. Wynonna was known for being a stereotypical Earp who drank away any and every feeling that arose within her, but Waverly knew that was just a defense mechanism for feeling a lot of the same things that Waverly does. She just copes with them differently, and the last thing Waverly wanted to do was add to her emotional weight. 

“Yeah.. Yeah he’s been good,” Waverly tried to back up her statement with a convincing smile. 

“Alright,” Wynonna said slowly, not fully believing her sister but not pressing the issue, “Well you know I will kick his buckle-wearing ass if he ever tries to hurt you. Have fun but I’ll have my phone on and if you need me I’ll be on my way in seconds”

Wynonna wasn’t one for “I love you’s”, but it was small things like these where Waverly felt her love. 

“Thanks sis,” Waverly smiled at her as she grabbed some clothes and glanced at the time that now read 6:07pm, “I’m gonna take a shower and get ready, he’s picking me up at 7”

Wynonna nodded and clapped her hand on the doorframe as she turned and left, walking down the hallway. 

Waverly hopped in the shower as she rinsed off the sweat from practice and sang whatever songs came to mind in order to keep her mind from wandering. 

She had finished and mostly dried off when she wrapped the towel around her body and continued scrunching her hair with her fingers. She opened the door in the process and was walking the path back to her room mindlessly when she bumped relatively hard into something, or rather, someone. 

“HOly shh-”

Waverly just barely grabbed her towel from falling and wrapped it back around her before anything was exposed. She looked up, ready to yell at Wynonna for not watching where she was going. However, it was not Wynonna that she came face to face with, it was Nicole Haught. 

“Oh my gosh I’m so sorry,” Nicole’s face turned bright red as she whipped her face back into eye contact with Waverly. 

Waverly’s breath caught in her throat as she looked into her eyes. 

“Oh, hi, you’re fine” Waverly managed to breathe out and she stood awkwardly holding her towel in place

“Sorry I just came to use the bathroom, if you’re done,” Nicole laughed quietly

Waverly’s heart rate picked up speed as she watched Nicole laughing while feeling her stomach… flutter? 

_Bitch don’t be delusional, we just talked about this. Butterflies aren’t a thing. You’re probably just hungry or something._

“Waves?” Nicole’s voice hauled Waverly from her thoughts, “You kinda just zoned out there, you okay?”

_Waves. The nickname. There we go again with the ...hunger flutters._

“Yes, hey, sorry I’m fine. Busy head is all. I get like that sometimes-- well, all the time really.. but yes I’m done.. with the bathroom that is.. it’s all yours!” Waverly rambled and kicked herself internally for being a stuttering idiot as she turned and walked back to her bedroom. 

She closed her door and leaned her forehead against the back of it, repeatedly knocking her head against the door and mumbling at herself about how much of an idiot she is.

She put on a set of underwear and a bra as she sat down in front of her vanity mirror. Applying more eye makeup than usual, she hoped to look pretty and was determined to have a good night. 

_You’re getting your hopes up again, it’s never going to happen the way you want it to._

Waverly shook her head at the thought and finished her makeup. Standing up to choose her outfit, she ran into another conflict: It was hot out so she wanted to wear the cute outfit she just bought, which was a crop top and a pair of white jean shorts, but she didn’t want to send the wrong message to Champ. This was one of the things she automatically wanted to ask her sister about. 

“Wynonna! Can I borrow you for a sec?!” Waverly yelled to out her door down to her sister. She completely forgot that Nicole was there, but Wynonna came alone anyway. 

“What’s up?” Wynonna came in her room and sat on her bed, raising an eyebrow when she saw her sister only in her underwear. 

“So.. don’t think I’m stupid for this but.. I’m trying to pick an outfit for tonight and it’s gonna be hot so I want to be cute and comfortable, but I also don’t really want to send Champ the wrong message… if that makes sense?” Waverly bit her lip as she waited for her sister’s opinion

“Babygirl.. if you even have to be worried that he’s going to automatically think the way you dress is an effort to please him or sleep with him, you’ve got bigger problems on your hands” Wynonna said after a moment of thought, “You should be able to wear whatever you want and rest assured that he’s going to respect you in whatever it is.”

“Yeah, I know… I just…” Waverly paused as she looked down at her feet, “Nevermind, it’s all good” She smiled and waved it off. 

“Wave..” Wynonna paused as if she was debating on whether or not to say something.  
“You know you can tell me anything, right?” Wynonna stood up and laid a hand on the younger girl’s shoulder

“Yes, I know. Really I’m fine, I’m just overthinking all of this” Waverly offered a small smile, “I’m gonna just wear it. Sorry, you should get back to your company”

Wynonna smiled softly in affirmation as she turned around and walked out the door, closing it behind her. 

Waverly quickly changed into the shorts and top, then applied some lipstick and grabbed her purse on her way down the stairs. 

_I’m ready, just text me when you get here._ She texted Champ as she reached the bottom of the stairs

“Damn babygirl who you tryna impress?” Wynonna whistled as she reached the bottom of the stairs

The younger sister glared at her and then stole a quick glance at Nicole, whose eyes took a few seconds too long to reach her own. 

_Was she just… checking me out?!_

Nicole quickly switched her eyes to rest back on the tv and Waverly could have sworn she saw a faint smile as the familiar blush rose on her cheeks. 

Ooorrrr maybe she was just being delusional again. 

“You know I’m just kidding, but you do look beautiful” Wynonna smiled at her sister “Again be careful tonight. Are you doing anything after the movie?” 

“Thank you, and I’m not sure yet. I’ll let you know but don’t wait up, I have my keys.” Waverly assured her as she looked down at her buzzing phone, alerting that Champ was here. “Alright I’m gonna head out, I’ll see you later” She hugged Wynonna quickly before making sure she had everything and walking to the door.

“Bye Nicole” Waverly waved to the redhead on the couch as she received a small smile back.

“Have fun.” Nicole replied while holding eye contact with her.

Waverly closed the door as Nicole turned to thank Wynonna, who had just handed her a beer as she sat down on the opposite end of the couch.

“So.. what’s the deal with Waverly and that guy? Champ is his name, right?” Nicole tried her best to sound casual as she took a swig of her beer.

“Yeah, I don’t know. When I moved back here, she had already been dating him for close to two years.” Nicole had raised her eyebrow at that.

_They’ve been dating for almost four years?!_

_Wait… why should I care?_

“By that time of course, I wasn’t just going to march into her life and control her choices. She had been doing just fine before I came back, so I just supported her.” Wynonna continued, “But in all honesty, I really don’t have a good feeling about him. Waverly is such a pure soul and I know she can do so much better than a handsy rodeo kid, you know?”

 _I could be the better option._ The thought popped into Nicole’s mind before she had even had time to evaluate it. 

“Yeah for sure,” Nicole agreed, “If you want, I’ll keep an eye out for him at school and make sure she’s okay”

“Thanks Haught, I’d appreciate that. I feel like Waverly isn’t always being honest with me about his behaviour, so it would be nice to have someone else looking out for her too.” Wynonna took a swig of her beer and grabbed the controller off of the coffee table in front of them.

“So should we get this marathon started or what?” She said as she clicked the play button and settled back into the couch

Nicole got comfortable as she tried to focus on the screen in front of her, but she couldn’t help her mind wandering back to Waverly. She had an unexplainable sinking feeling in her gut, which was never a good thing. Nicole has always been known to have good instincts, and although she didn’t know a lot about Champ or even Waverly for that matter, she felt like something was off. 

She shook her head, dismissing the thought and turned her attention back to the movie. 

*************************

Waverly instantly regretted her choice in outfit as she left the homestead and walked to the driveway where Champ’s truck was parked. He was too busy messing with something on his phone to even acknowledge her but when he finally looked up, he gawked at her like she was a piece of meat.

“Damn baby, you look so good,” Champ smirked at her as he pulled her into a rough and sloppy kiss. 

Waverly almost physically cringed as she tried to kiss him back. Call her crazy, but ever since she started to realize she liked girls, she found herself feeling less and less attracted to Champ and pinpointing everything that she felt wrongly about with him. 

For so long, she had made herself believe that things weren’t that bad and she tried her hardest to enjoy her relationship with her boyfriend, but as of lately she caught herself thinking more and more that this can’t possibly be what she has to feel for the rest of her life. 

There HAS to be something more, right? Something better? A part of her repeatedly told herself that she wasn’t going to get the romance that she dreamed of in her head, but another part of her let her believe that maybe, just maybe, there was a person out there who could truly and deeply love her. She just wanted to feel content and respected with the person she was intimate with, and she was finally letting herself realize that she didn’t feel either of those things with Champ. 

As he broke away from the kiss and shifted gears to back out of her driveway, he kept his callused hand held tightly on her inner thigh. She tried to sit further back in her chair and away from his hand, but failed as he just moved it higher. 

She tried to focus on making the night with him a good one. He actually could be really sweet. They had been dating for so long that there were just a lot of things she had already gotten used to; His constant horniness being one of those things.

They had just sat down in the movie theatre when he stood back up, saying he would be right back. Waverly felt a sense of panic wash over her. She always got really nervous in crowds of people she didn’t know, and if Champ paid any attention over the years, he should have known that. It was part of the reason she hated parties so much. She hated feeling anxious and sick to her stomach as she stood surrounded by sweaty people she didn’t know and didn’t care to know. She was definitely more of a stay-at-home girl. 

As much as she didn’t really feel comfortable being alone with her boyfriend anymore, he brought a sense of familiarity to her in the midst of strangers and she freaked out at his absence. It was truly conflicting. 

Thankfully, he came back soon with a box of popcorn for himself and a bag of sour cherries for Waverly, along with a coke for them to share. Waverly smiled at his choice in snacks because they were exactly what they got on their first date to the movies the summer before freshman year. It was little things like this that kept Waverly holding onto a small slimmer of something still being there. It sounds stupid that a small slimmer was a bag of candy and a coke, but the little significant things truly do mean a lot to Waverly. 

*****************

Surprisingly, Waverly and Champ made it through the whole movie without Champ giving up and trying to makeout with her the whole time, so her plan of seeing a boy… Man ...friendly movie worked out well. 

As the credits rolled, she stood up and stretched from sitting for too long. 

She felt hands around her waist from behind and a face pressed against her cheek. Champ kissed her face and neck repeatedly as stood up straight. 

“Alright alright let’s go,” She laughed awkwardly as she took his hand and walked with him out of the theatre. 

They were walking out to the car when he got a phone call. He sounded like he was talking to one of his friends and getting excited about whatever they were saying. Champ hopped into his side of the truck and waited for her to walk around to her side. 

Waverly tried to ignore the recurrent thoughts of how nice it would be to even just have someone hold the door for her on a date for once.

Again, the little things mattered. 

As she sat and waited for Champ to be done his conversation, she kind of zoned out to whatever he was saying as she watched the drizzles of rain coming down. She smiled softly at the droplets, immediately wishing she was at home and cuddled up in bed listening to music.

Waverly always loved the rain. She cherished the cliche idea that it would wash everything bad away and leave a fresh start. The flowers would grow, a rainbow would come on display, the sun would come out brighter. It gave everything a glistening newness. 

Sadly, the drizzling stopped only a few moments after it began.

“Sure man, we’ll be there,” Champ’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts as he hung up the phone and turned to put his arm around her, flashing what she was sure he thought was his most convincing smile.

“Soo.. the guys are getting together at Jeremy’s house and they really wanna see me-us. They want to see us. Your team is going, too!” Champ added, thinking it would somehow be more appealing to Waverly if she had to be around the other 13 members of her team that were not only fake, but extremely submissive to the male gender in general. 

Waverly may have won over the acquaintanceship of the whole school, but she could count on one hand the number of genuine friends she had. She didn’t have many positive outlets in her life. 

Luckily, although she knew that Champ was going to drag her to the “get together” whether she liked it or not, she felt a lot more comfortable that it was being held at Jeremy’s house.

Jeremy Chetri was one of those genuine friends to Waverly. He was also on the football team, but he was a really good guy. She had met him in Junior High when they were paired up in their home ec class. Young Waverly was terrified that he wouldn’t like her because of her family’s reputation just like all the other people she met, but as it turned out, he was new to the school and he was really sweet guy. What no one knew was that he was gay, but in the summer before Grade 8 he finally got up the courage to tell her. She had never felt more proud of him or honoured that he would trust her with something so big.

So here they are in their senior year. Still, no one knows that he is gay and Waverly has never breathed a word to anyone. She guarded his secret with her life, and they have been even closer ever since. 

“Alright we can go for a bit, just because I want to see Jeremy,” Waverly sighed, “but I really don’t want to stay at a party tonight Champ, I’m really not in the mood for it.”

“Yeah yeah fine.” Champ said with a grin as he put his hand back on her thigh and shifted in reverse.

**********

Waverly should have known that it was so not going to be “just” the football team and cheerleaders, but for some reason she let herself believe that.

Until they pulled up.

There were easily over 100 people in Jeremy’s house already and Waverly’s heart rate immediately picked up as she thought about being in such a big crowd.

Champ was quick to jump out of the truck and join his friends in the house, yelling something behind him to Waverly about getting them some drinks.

She knew she was not in the mindset to drink because generally when her mind was racing like it has been, she was not the best at stopping what she started.

She knew this night wasn’t going to go well and now that she proved herself right, she just wanted to spend some time with Jeremy and be done.

Thankfully, as she reached the house she quickly spotted Jeremy across the room, sitting on a counter and calmly sipping on his beer. It made Waverly laugh because that was another secret that resided with her. Jeremy HATED beer. He thought it tasted like “armpits with a severe lack of personal hygiene.” However, beer was more “manly” than the margarita he would rather be sipping on, so he put up with it to uphold an image. 

_God I hate stereotypes,_ Waverly thought.

A rush of anxiety plowed through her as she thought about the amassment of people hoarded between her and Jeremy, but luckily she caught his attention as he flashed her a grin, motioning that he would come to her instead. 

The relief that flooded her was instantaneous. She was so grateful that he knew her fears and was kind enough to accomodate them. 

“Hey Way I know as MUCH as you missed me,” He said in a dramatic tone as he reached the driveway where she was standing and pulled her into a big hug, “You didn’t face your fears to see me when you could have just asked to go for ice cream or something tomorrow, so I’m assuming Chump dragged you here?”

Waverly laughed at his antics, feeling glad that she finally felt comfortable.

“Yeah, he said it was a ‘small gathering’, but I only agreed because it was your place,” she added with a wink.

“Damn Earp, take me to dinner first if you wanna come back to my place so bad,” Jeremy tried to imitate a sultry tone as he threw an arm around her shoulders.

“In your dreams, kid” Waverly kept laughing as she leaned into him.

She was incredibly reserved when it came to affection. She didn’t know why, but there were very few people that she felt truly comfortable being touchy with when it came to friendships. Ironically, she was a very clingy person, but she had become more and more guarded over the years which was why her friendship with Jeremy was so special. 

For another hour or two they just sat on the truck bed hanging out and enjoying the space away from the pulsing music and lights inside. 

_Just tell him, am I kidding? He of all people would be the most understanding, and I trust him!_

_But you’ve trusted people who have betrayed you before. You’d better keep your guard up anyway. Besides, it’s a TEACHER. He would so judge you._

_No, Jeremy wouldn’t judge me and he wouldn’t betray me, I know that._

Waverly hated herself for letting her conscious question even the best of her relationships, but then again she has previously had good reason to. 

She had just gotten up the courage to tell him about her feelings for Ms. Haught when Champ busted out of the door and came towards them.

Waverly could instantly tell he was drunk. He was stumbling as he walked and had that overly bedraggled look about him. 

“Hey baby I’ve been looking all over for you,” He said with slur as he reached her and stumbled in for yet another harsh kiss, only this time she really did cringe and pulled away swiftly.

“Champ you are way too drunk, we should head home” Waverly said firmly. 

“Come on baby don’t ruin the fun, come in and have a drink,” Champ whined.

“No, it’s like one in the morning, I need to be going home,” Waverly replied

“Since when do you have a curfew,” Champ smirked, “I remember when we used to go all night long”

Jeremy immediately picked up on Waverly’s extreme discomfort and knew Champ was too drunk to actually resist, so he helped Champ into the trunk with a “Come on man, you’re gonna be hungover enough as it is.” 

He then shut the door and walked around to Waverly’s driver side window as Champ was still grumbling loudly to himself in the front seat.

“Are you sure you can get him home by yourself, Lee? I can come along if you think you’re gonna need backup,” Jeremy said in a low tone.

Waverly smiled at the nickname. He always called her by the end of her name when they were younger. 

“I love you for caring but no I’ll be okay, it’s only like 20 minutes to his ranch and I’m sure he’ll pass out soon enough,” She said with a reassuring smile and a hand on his arm

“Alright well drive safe, call me if you need anything,” Jeremy said seriously. “See ya later man, drink some water,” he added loud enough for Champ to hear as he tossed him a bottle of water he had kept in his jacket the whole night.

Waverly drove off and saw Jeremy in the rear view mirror, waiting in the driveway until they rounded the corner. 

_I think I’ll keep him,_ Waverly thought as she smiled to herself.

Champ was mostly zoned out during the ride, but when they were about ten minutes from his ranch, the rain had come back much harder than before, and he randomly became increasingly more handsy. 

“Stop it, Champ, it’s not going to happen,” Waverly spoke firmly with her voice unwavering. Internally, she was freaking out. She really did not want to do anything with him tonight, if not ever again. 

Nevertheless, he persisted. He even unbuckled his seatbelt to get closer to her. She couldn’t afford to take her eyes off the road with the rain was pouring down in thick sheets, so she just put her hand on his chest and pushed him back towards his side.

“Champ, I said no! Stop it, I need to focus on the road,” She pleaded with him, only glancing to her side to see his anger rise. 

“Why are you being such a prude? Just pull over!” He yelled at her.

She bit her tongue to keep her eyes from welling up with tears as he raised his voice. Her anxiety shot through the roof when people yelled at her.

“No, I’m going to get you home.” Waverly said as steadily as she could.

“I said, PULL. OVER.” Champ yelled, the alcohol on his breath being almost unbearable.

Everything happened faster than she could react. 

Champ threw himself to her side and grabbed the wheel from her grasp, turning it harshly towards him. Waverly made the split second mistake of slamming on the brakes in the middle of the water, throwing the car off of the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ..... gotta blast!


	3. something significant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi friends!! I'm so sorry for the delay. I just started a new job and the long hours are definitely keeping me busy. 
> 
> I'm not sure how much I like this chapter but I want to post it without further delay and see your guys' thoughts. 
> 
> PS: I know a lot of you like t/s aus for the secrecy and smut, but that's not (yet) how this one is gonna go! I'm focusing more on an actual relationship-- we're gonna see how Nicole really changes her life, and if they can actually be together in that sense or not. 
> 
> Okay, I'm gonna shut up now. Enjoy!

_Everything happened faster than she could react._

_Champ threw himself to her side and grabbed the wheel from her grasp, turning it harshly towards him. Waverly made the split second mistake of slamming on the brakes in the middle of the water, throwing the car off of the road..._

Waverly made another split second decision, but this time it was one that saved both of their lives. She grabbed the steering wheel that Champ had let go of when they swerved off the road, quickly straightening out the tires mere seconds before they would have hit the ditch they were approaching, and throwing the truck into park.

“Are you fucking insane?!” Waverly yelled over the rain that was still pouring down on the roof of the vehicle, “You could have gotten us killed!!” She added, her voice cracking slightly

“Oh don’t be so dramatic, we just ran off the road,” Champ scoffed in reply.

“Because you were too focused on touching me than letting me drive!” She raged

“Well maybe if you’d stop being a killjoy and just have some fun. You used to love me touching you” Champ lowered his tone and leaned closer, putting his hand back on her inner thigh.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Waverly smacked his hand away, her heart still pounding out of her chest from the previous events

“What the fuck is your problem lately?” He snarled

“YOU,” She snapped, “You can clearly tell that I don’t want to do anything and yet you keep drinking and trying to force me to. It’s like you’re TRYING to be just like your fath-”

Before she could finish what she knew was a very hurtful sentence she felt a hand connecting with her face, leaving a stinging pain in its wake.

“Don’t you fucking dare finish that sentence,” Champ said with venom dripping off his words

Waverly reached a hand up to her throbbing cheek and held the tears back that were stinging her eyes as could only think of one thing: getting the hell out of there. She kept a tight grip on her purse as she forced the door open and threw herself into the pouring rain. Champ acted with speed as he jumped out of his side door and caught her wrist just before she could run away.

“Waverly get back here, we’re not finished!” He slurred

Waverly never thought she’d ever see the day where she was GLAD that Champ was drunk. She sent a swift kick to his shins, making his grip on her wrist loosen and using his slowed reaction time to keep running. 

On any normal day he would be way faster than her but he had so much to drink he could barely walk 20 minutes ago, so she used that to her advantage. Waverly ran and kept running until she was out of earshot of him calling out her name. She stopped when she was sure she had gained some distance to think about where she was. She knew she was about 8 miles from the homestead but in the pitch black and pouring rain, solutions were not the easiest to come about. She knew her phone wouldn’t have service out here, even if it wasn’t destroyed by the rain already.

Waverly ran a hand through her sopping hair as she caught her breath. A part of her was worried about Champ trying to drive the truck drunk, but she knew that he had probably just gone back to it and passed out. He didn’t live far from where they were. 

_Why the hell are you worried about Champ right now? You are miles from home in the middle of the night wearing nothing but shorts and a crop top._ Her mind argued with her.

As she weighed her options, she decided that if she just kept on the main road she would eventually reach the road that led out towards the homestead.

_If I don’t get hit by a car, eaten by a cougar, or die from hypothermia first._ She thought as her body shook with a chill. 

She wrapped her arms around the material clinging to her soaking wet torso as she kept walking, silently hoping that whatever demons her family previously obsessed over weren’t out and about tonight.

*********  
It was a quiet night at the homestead for the two older girls. Wynonna was intensely watching the movies as she shoveled popcorn into her mouth. Nicole laughed after being shushed for making a comment about the brunette’s ability to eat like in such a way without choking. 

Nicole had abandoned her beer long ago, resorting to water instead. She never felt okay taking any more than a few swigs if she had to drive later on in the night, no matter how wide the timespan was in between. 

Wynonna on the other hand only made it 20 minutes through the first movie before switching to whiskey. 

_This girl must have a liver of steel,_ Nicole’s mind mused, _I don’t think I’ve ever seen her sober_

It was that switch that had led Wynonna to pass out towards the end of the second movie and remain in a comatose state through the third. However, something in Nicole told her to stay. She glanced at the DVD player that read 1:42 AM. Waverly wasn’t home yet, and the redhead still had a gut feeling that something was wrong.

_It really isn’t your place to wait for her. Wynonna’s here, just go home._

_Wynonna passed out hours ago. Even if someone could wake her up if Waverly was in trouble, she wouldn’t be safe at all to drive._ She kept debating

Nicole stayed until about 2:30. The later it got, the more worried she became. 

Since Waverly was still her student, Nicole didn’t have her number or any way to contact her. She thought about using Wynonna’s phone but it was passcode locked and almost dead. 

_She probably just decided to spend the night at her boyfriend’s,_ she reasoned, _but wouldn’t she tell Wynonna then?_

Finally, Nicole just decided to head home. She couldn’t just wait around at the homestead all night and she had already replayed the end of the last movie three times while she waited, just to have an excuse to be there if Wynonna woke up. 

Turning off the TV, Nicole grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and layed it over Wynonna’s sleeping form. She turned off the remaining lights except for a lamp on the side table, and wrote a note for the brunette telling her that she would see her soon.

Nicole walked out the front door of the house, locking it behind her and hiding the spare key back in it’s usual spot. Waverly had been shocked when Wynonna originally showed Nicole where the key was, telling Nicole that it was a one out of a billion chance that her sister would trust someone enough to have access to the homestead. The redhead definitely understood why that was such a big deal. She didn’t trust anyone easily either, but she was honoured that she had such a bond with Wynonna. 

As she stood on the porch, she saw the rain pouring down in thick sheets. She pulled her hood over her head and made a quick break to the car. 

Jumping in the driver’s seat and slamming the door quickly, Nicole shook off her hood and started the engine. 

_Man it is really coming down out there._

Nicole pulled out of the homestead and started back on the main road to town. Her apartment was a few miles from here and worrying about Waverly had taken a toll on her. 

The radio was buzzing in a low tone over the rain and she found herself feeling nostalgic. 

As a kid, one of her favourite feelings in the world was when she could just lay in bed and listen to the rain. She always found it melodic and soothing. 

She made it about 4 miles down the road when she saw a figure down the road. She slowed down, squinting and trying to see through the rain what it was. 

As she got closer, she unmistakably recognized the shape as the source of all her night’s worries. 

_What the h-_

“WAVERLY,” Nicole yelled as she rapidly threw the car in park and ran out to meet the brunette.

Waverly was in almost a zombie-like state. She had her arms crossed tightly against her chest, walking like she was about to drop to the ground at any moment. 

The brunette was shaking violently and her teeth chattered behind blue lips. 

“Hey, hey I’ve got you,” Nicole urged, “come with me.”

Nicole wrapped an arm around the younger girl, quickly guiding her to the passenger side door. As Waverly sat in the car and continued to shake, Nicole opened the back hatch, digging around for the thick blanket she always kept in her car in case of a winter emergency. 

She found it fairly quickly and closed the trunk, bending over the rolled blanket in attempt to keep it dry and running back to the passenger door where Waverly seemed to be in shock. 

“Here, lift up for just a second,” Nicole directed, wrapping the blanket under Waverly’s back and pulling both sides tightly around her as she sat back down. 

Nicole then shut the door and ran back to the driver’s side. As she hopped back in, she shed her soaked hoodie and threw it to the back seat. She panicked when she realized the girl sitting next to her was still pale and rattling with chills. Cranking the heat up on full blast, the older girl pointed the vents towards Waverly. 

“Let’s get you home,” Nicole breathed, turning the car and heading back toward where she just came from. 

The ride home, while not too long, was silent. Waverly burrowed as tightly as she could into the blankets with a blank look on her face and Nicole focused on getting her home as quickly and safely as possible, sending worried glances to her side every few moments. The rain was finally slowing down, reaching a light shower as the two women approached the homestead.

Nicole shut the engine off and jogged over to the other side of the car, helping Waverly out of the passenger seat and leading her up the porch to the door. She quickly grabbed the key back from it’s hiding spot and unlocked the door, ushering the still-shivering girl into the house. 

As they passed the living room, Nicole noticed Wynonna still passed out on the couch. Her written note was untouched. 

“You need to get those wet clothes off,” Nicole said gently, “I’ll make you some hot tea and wake up Wynonna,” she added, turning to walk to where said sister was laying

“Don’t,” Waverly spoke for the first time in a faint voice, lightly grabbing Nicole’s shoulder to halt her movements. “Please. She can’t know about this,” The girl pleaded softly

Nicole thought for a second, glancing to the sleeping woman on the couch.

_It’s not ideal, but I promised Wynonna I would look out for her. Maybe if I can get Waverly to open up to me then I can protect her better._

She then refocused her attention back to the girl in front of her, momentarily getting lost in the pleading green orbs. 

“Okay,” Nicole nodded, “I’ll bring you some tea in a minute”

Waverly softened in thanks and turned slowly to walk up the stairs to her room while Nicole turned the other direction towards the kitchen. 

She set the hot water on to boil and leaned against the counter in thought, wondering why she was so drawn to Waverly and worried about her well-being. 

_She is my student; I can’t be crossing any boundaries._

Nicole wasn’t oblivious to her emotions- obviously she feels some sort of connection to the girl, but she just couldn’t put her finger on what the meaning of that connection is. 

The light on the kettle turned off, signaling that the water was ready. Nicole mindlessly searched the cupboards until she found the basket of different types of teas. 

_Which one would she like? … sunshine herbal and honey… She’s basically a ray of sunshine herself… let’s go with that one_

Nicole cringed at her own thoughts. She’s not wrong though, Waverly does remind her of sunshine. 

She made the tea and walked up the stairs to Waverly’s room. The door was halfway open so she knocked lightly to make her appearance known before walking in. 

The sight that greeted her made her heart skip in her chest.

_Wait.. What?!_

The brunette was out of her wet clothes and into a pair of pajamas. She was laying on her bed bundled up underneath a mountain of what had to be at least 8 blankets. 

“Hi,” Waverly’s voice cracked 

“Hey,” Nicole returned softly, “Glad to see you’re able to function more.”

Nicole crossed the room and handed Waverly the cup of steaming liquid, earning a hum of “thank you” from her. 

She debated sitting on her bed.. She didn’t want to cross any boundaries.

_Fuck it._

Nicole sat on the edge of her bed, facing the girl who was now sipping her tea. She couldn’t help but notice how small and cuddly Waverly looked under all the blankets… 

“I’m really happy you drove by when you did. A few more minutes and I would have definitely gotten pneumonia,” Waverly awkwardly chuckled

“I’m not so sure you still won’t get it,” Nicole frowned in worry, “what’s going on? What happened tonight?”

Waverly took a moment to collect her thoughts. She didn’t know if telling her sister’s best friend- who also happened to be her own teacher and the cause of her confused feelings- about everything going on was really the best idea.

Nevertheless, Waverly found that she felt some sort of draw to Nicole. She always had, even when they didn’t know each other outside of school. She felt like she could fully trust her without regret or judgement, and that was a wonderfully comforting feeling. 

“You can trust me, I promise,” Nicole added, “I’m here for you. Talk me through it.”

_What the hell, can she read minds?_ Waverly asked herself

Without letting the voices in her head argue or convince her to dismiss the conversation and not tell the other woman anything, she jumped right into it. And before she knew it, the floodgates opened. 

“I’ve always felt like an outsider,” Waverly began, “Like.. I wasn’t meant to be here. For recent years, I’ve tried to use optimism to rise above all the events that have occurred or hatred that was thrown against my family and search for a purpose to my life. I ignored the comments that told me everywhere I went that because I am an Earp, I didn’t deserve to be happy or feel... love,” She blinked back the burn of tears brimming in her eyes, “My mother was killed when I was 8 and my dad dedicated the rest of his life to finding the people who did it. He always said that mama kept him sane-- that she was his lifeline. I guess that was more true than we all understood because when she died, he drove himself crazy… He started believing more and more that demons were the ones that killed mama”

Waverly paused to take a deep breath and calm her racing heart. 

“He would drink until he couldn’t see straight and then he’d go out ‘demon hunting.’ Our family was the talk of town. We were hated because my dad often destroyed others’ property on his drunk rampages, and they always chalked it up to insanity and spite. No one actually stopped to think about how much he was hurting without my mama by his side. They’d been dating since they were 14…So he had never really known a life without her. One day he got so trashed that he stumbled out a loft window and fell head first. I got him to the hospital but he died later that night, and everyone in the town just went back to their regular lives. That’s when it hit me: Maybe those people were right. Maybe my life really is as insignificant and worthless as they told me it was.” Waverly’s eyes had basically checked out at this point, her mouth just pouring out her insecurities before she could shut it up. 

She knew she was going to despise herself for ranting later on but it had been building up inside her for so long that she felt like she was just going to explode. 

“Those feelings are incredibly overwhelming to feel at all, much less when you were that young and going through living hell already,” Nicole intervened quietly, “That alone shows so much worth. Your strength is incredibly admirable. 

Waverly stopped, her immediate reaction was to disagree, but instead she smiled and tried not to argue with her. She didn’t know what to respond. Her mind was yelling at her, telling her it was all a lie, but she tried so hard to block it out and listen to the impact of Nicole’s words. 

Thankfully, Nicole seemed to understand her internal struggle with compliments and simply motioned for her to continue. 

“The years after his death were a bit of a blur. I lived with my aunt Gus and tried to myself numb to the world in whatever ways I could. Then in junior high I met a guy named Jeremy who, even though he was pretty much my only friend, was the absolute best friend. He still is, and I attribute a lot of my survival to him. He was such an encouragement to me when I felt like I had nothing left to live for. He told me that I wasn’t insignificant because I genuinely cared about people, and that was rare. He said I have to just continue to show people love, even if they face me with hatred, and that was my significance: That I would make an impact through the lives I would touch.”

“Smart guy. He’s absolutely right,” Nicole agreed

“Yeah… he’s great. I don’t know what I did to deserve a friend like him. I never really believed his words  
until I thought about how he personally has proved his ‘The Lives You Impact’ theory through his friendship with me. He’s saved my life more times than I can count, and I don’t even think he realizes how much he has done for me…” Waverly smiled at the thought and then continued her story, “The summer before we went to high school I met Champ. He really was different back then. He was sweet and made me feel wanted… Even if now I realize it was mostly just physically… but we did have fun, and we took each other’s minds off of things.. He was going through stuff too, you know? I guess for years I was so focused on the fact that I thought I was going to have to settle for him that I overlooked how badly he was treating me, and how toxic we were to each other. I chose to stay with him, even when I knew he was cheating on me repeatedly, because I thought, as he reiterated, he was the only one that would ever love me like that.” Waverly added the last point almost too quietly to hear, but Nicole did regardless. 

Nicole’s heart was so heavy. She hated that such an amazing girl was feeling all of these destructive things, and had been for years. But she was also a bit shocked. Her own backstory aligned very similarly with Waverly’s, yet she didn’t bring that up. She knew part of active listening was just letting Waverly pour her heart out and not making it about herself. So she pushed that thought back and stayed quiet to let the brunette keep opening up, knowing this was probably extremely hard for her to do. 

In the meantime, Waverly finally got the courage to look the older woman in the eye. While she was half expecting a look of judgement or irritation, which she often received from Champ, she instead was met by a staggering amount of compassion and understanding. The brown eyes were softened and completely focused on the girl in front of her.

Nicole had many things to say to contradict those insecurities but again, she chose to stay silent, as she knew Waverly needed to continue and process it all to get it out of her system. 

Waverly internally panicked as she saw Nicole stand up. 

_Shit, shit, shit. What have you done?! She’s leaving!_

But her heart settled back in her chest as she realized Nicole just stood up to grab a box of tissues. Walking back to where Waverly was laying, Nicole handed her the box and sat back down fully on the bed, leaning her back completely against the footing and giving her a small smile, granting her a minute to gather her thoughts. 

“So I guess it has taken me long enough to let myself realize how calamitous my relationship with Champ has been. He’s now more physically forceful and mentally abusive, less caring and attentive. He drinks constantly, and he is reckless with drugs and parties. It would be hypocritical of me to try to help him away from that when I struggle with it myself, but I’m finally seeing how much he’s hurting me,” Waverly sighed and paused. “Anyway, the final realization happened tonight…”

And so she told her. Waverly told Nicole everything that had happened that night and why she ended up stranded in the pouring rain. (She left out the part about him hitting her in fear that both Wynonna and Nicole would end up putting him in a hospital and cause something much bigger.)

And Nicole listened. She never stopped listening. 

She could have gone home. She could have woken up Wynonna and left her to deal with Waverly. Hell, she could have just left her to deal with herself, but she didn’t. She was here, at almost 4 the morning, listening to the slow drizzle of the rain on the window and all of Waverly’s insecurities and hardships like there was no limit on time in the world. 

*******************  
“I mean, with all of this said, honestly I’m doing a lot better than I was. I’m making a lot of progress with my mental health,” Waverly said in faltering confidence, “I guess it’s just…” She struggled with how to word what she wanted to say

“Likes some days you feel like you’ve been restored with new life and breath, and others you feel like you’re right back to suffocating in that same black hole?” Nicole asked with a knowing look

“Yeah…” Waverly looked shocked, “That’s exactly it.”

“I had those spells too. I still do, actually. Interestingly enough, our stories are very similar.” Nicole remarked finally

She sought to put Waverly’s mind more at ease and let her know she wasn’t alone in these battles, so she continued. 

“I had a bit of an odd relationship with my parents overall, but growing up I was really close with my mother. When I was 11 we got in a car accident. Our car burst into flames and she pulled my brother and I out, trading our lives for her own…”

*********************

It truly was crazy how much their childhoods had in common, and Waverly’s heart was throbbing more and more with adoration for the woman in front of her as she told her own story. 

She had never had conversations like this. The opportunity to talk so openly and freely without fear of judgement was so impassioned and welcomed. 

In her past relationships, she had always felt so afraid to be vulnerable. Yet here she was, laying in her bed talking to her teacher all night, expressing all her vulnerabilities without a second thought. 

The pure sensation of such a conversation was unexplainable. 

How could a terrible situation, where hours ago she was scared for her life and overwhelmed by Champ’s sexual desires and lack of consensual thought, turn into one of the BEST nights of her life, where she was feeling more emotionally fulfilled and adored from a single conversation than she had ever felt before from any physical encounter?

***********

It was approaching 8AM when Waverly finally looked at the clock. 

Their talk had moved through several stages of tears and heartache as they talked through their pasts to lighter tones of acceptance, appreciation, and laughter. 

“Oh my-,” Waverly gasped, “Is that seriously the time?!”

“Oh shit.” Nicole cursed

Waverly grinned to herself as she realized she had never heard Nicole swear. 

“I should probably go. You need to rest and I have some things to do in the city in a couple hours,” Nicole said regretfully while still laying on the bed, her whole body protesting her departure. 

She felt it too. The natural bond she had with the girl in front of her. 

Every voice in her head screamed at her to stop. 

_Waverly is your STUDENT. This can’t happen. End it before it starts._

_But.. the connection is already here._

It’s already started.

“What has?” Waverly inquired

_Oh shit._ Nicole thought as she realized she had voiced that last line out loud. 

“Nothing, sorry, thinking out loud,” the redhead laughed at her own slip-up. 

The butterflies, which had been present in Waverly’s body since the first day they met, exploded every time she saw Nicole laugh. She couldn’t help staring at her lips, but then she tore her gaze away, reaching her eyes again. 

They held eye contact for a lingering moment. Perhaps, a moment too long? 

“I really should be going,” Nicole said quietly 

Neither of them wanted to end this night. To burst their own little bubble. 

So, blame it on the traumatic night, exhaustion, or just plain love.. but Waverly did something she knew was incredibly stupid. 

“Or.. you could stay? I’ll stop talking your ears off and we can just sleep in for awhile?” Waverly rambled out so fast that she wasn’t even sure it sounded like English

She was a planner, and to do something so spontaneous was incredibly strange for her. 

But even stranger, Nicole looked like she was…. considering it? 

“As tempting as that sounds,” Nicole blurted and shut her eyes quickly to avoid seeing Waverly’s smirk

_Damnit Nicole you have GOT to stop accidentally voicing your thoughts._ She cursed herself

“I really need to head back. Also Wynonna would be very confused and I don’t feel like getting shot today,” Nicole added, chuckling to herself, “I’m really actually surprised she hasn’t come up here yet”

“Wow, to be completely honest I forgot Wynonna was even here… but she’ll probably easily sleep until 2 this afternoon,” Waverly laughed, “Once she’s out, she’s really out.”

They both laughed and Nicole laid there for one last moment, soaking it in. 

She then forced herself to sit up and stretch, leading Waverly to assume she really was about to leave.

“Hey…” The brunette caught her attention in a small and hesitant voice, “Thank you. For tonight. For everything.” 

Nicole’s smile reached her eyes as she laid a hand delicately on Waverly’s arm, unknowingly sending tingles down her spine. 

“No thanks necessary. I adore you and am always here to share life stories,” She reassured

Waverly's breath caught in her throat as she heard the words ‘I adore you.’

“Here,” Nicole stood up, leaving a warmth on the bed in her wake

She grabbed a notepad off of Waverly’s side table and wrote her phone number down. 

“I’m not technically allowed to give you this,” Nicole continued, “but I trust you.”

She tore the paper off the pad and held it towards the younger girl. 

“On one condition,” she pulled it back towards her own chest as the Waverly reached out to take it, “You have to promise me that if you reach one of those black hole days, you’ll call me. I’m good for a coffee and a cry whenever you need it, okay?”

Waverly couldn’t help but tear up at the sentiment. 

“I--I… Thank you,” Waverly couldn’t think of what else to say. She was feeling so many unexplainable things. 

“Again, no thanks necessary,” Nicole smiled

SHE then did something her mind was violently protesting against. 

She leaned down, flattening Waverly’s now-dry hair and leaving a lingering kiss on her head. 

“It’s all gonna be okay.” She whispered

Waverly had heard those 5 words a thousand times, and yet she had never really believed them until now. 

“I’ll talk to you later,” Nicole said as she stood up and lightly pushed the piece of paper into the girl’s hand, giving it a small squeeze before she turned and walked out the bedroom door. 

Waverly’s heart felt like it was exploding out of her chest. 

She was always good at math, and she thought about what this was adding up to. 

Butterflies, plus tingles, plus trust, plus an incredible amount of infatuation equals… a ‘fuck you’ to every single doubt in her mind that told her she wouldn’t be able to feel love. 

Because love was here. Right in front of her face. And she was feeling every single second of it. 

Waverly got settled back into her bed and held the paper tightly against her chest, smiling harder than ever before. She heard Nicole’s car start up in the driveway and her wheels pulling out onto the gravel road, and she sank into pillow, squealing at the million emotions in her body and the prospect of something new in her life. Something… significant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Precious head kisses-- I'm trash for them.  
> Protect Waverly at all costs!!!!!


	4. in sickness and in health

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi hey hello  
> I'm here to apologize to any other fic author I've felt internally frustrated with for not updating "fast enough", I now see how dang hard it is to balance life and trying to write--I suck at it!!
> 
> anyway it's 3am and I'm getting up in 2 hours for work so I didn't proof read this. you've been warned-- I've tried 6 times to fix all of the italicized parts and it's still not showing up like it should so I'm sorry, I think you can figure out which parts should be in italics. I'll fix it later!!
> 
> Thank you to anyone who's still reading!!! :) all the love
> 
> PS- If anyone can find and tell me the FRIENDS reference in this chapter-- I'll love you a lil extra ;)

It was around 8:30 in the morning when Wynonna awoke from her place on the couch. 

She stretched her aching limbs and tried to ignore the pounding in her head as she noticed the note from Nicole on the side table. 

_Who even writes notes,_ She thought with a laugh. _What a nerd._

_____ _

_____ _

____Nicole was a rarity when it came to Wynonna considering someone a friend. She didn’t know what it was about her that caught her attention when she moved to Purgatory, but the brunette grew to trust her quickly-something that was normally unheard of. She respected Nicole and appreciated her level-headed presence, which made Wynonna feel comforted by the fact that she was someone Waverly could turn to at school, knowing how much crap her sister had to be going through._ _ _ _

____What she didn’t know was how literally Nicole would take that role in Waverly’s life, and that the redhead had still been at the house fulfilling those duties just 20 minutes prior._ _ _ _

____With her sister crossing her mind, Wynonna walked up the stairs to her room, wondering if she made it home last night or stayed the night at Champ’s. She saw her sister’s door cracked open, pushing it lightly to reveal a sleeping Waverly under a mountain of blankets. She smiled softly at the image, silently grateful that the girl hadn’t stayed with her boyfriend. Wynonna really didn’t like the boy, but she kept the majority of her opinions about him to herself in fear of intervening with Waverly’s happiness. After all, Waverly was one of the only things in Wynonna’s life that truly mattered to her._ _ _ _

____Wynonna also just felt more at ease when Waverly was at home where she could keep an eye on her._ _ _ _

____She was about to close the door when she caught a glimpse of a bag of rice holding Waverly’s phone on her dresser._ _ _ _

_____That’s weird.. Did she get it wet? She’s always overly careful about stuff like that._ _ _ _ _

______Reminding herself to ask her sister about it later, she quietly shut the door and walked across the hall to her own room, deciding that eight was entirely too early an hour and crawling back into bed._ _ _ _ _ _

______*************************************_ _ _ _ _ _

______Waverly woke up later that afternoon feeling refreshed yet kind of… achey._ _ _ _ _ _

______Honestly she couldn’t even distinguish how she was doing because her body just felt like floating after her night with Nicole. The girl was stuck questioning if she had only dreamed the whole situation until her eyes met the piece of paper holding a phone number._ _ _ _ _ _

______Waverly grinned as she picked it back up. She thought about putting the contact in her phone until she remembered it was sitting in the rice bag beside her: Another reminder that the night’s events really had taken place._ _ _ _ _ _

______She sighed, taking her phone out of the bag and silently praying it would work before holding the power button. She inwardly rejoiced as the screen came to life and alerted her of some missed messages. Thankfully, none were from Champ. She assumed he was still passed out or too hungover to realize what had happened yet._ _ _ _ _ _

______She opened a couple messages from Jeremy. He had been trying to make sure she got home safely and the last few were more panicked as she hadn’t answered him. Her heart swelled at his concern and she quickly replied, typing that she was sorry but she just woke up and had so much to tell him._ _ _ _ _ _

_______Thank God. I was afraid you had gotten eaten by Bigfoot or something,_ His reply came quick along with a proposal, _Mason’s at 3?_ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She smiled and glanced at the clock that read 1:37PM. Mason’s was their favourite diner and ice cream place in town, they usually always went there on weekends to hangout if they didn’t have plans._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Deal. Want me to pick you up?_ She replied and received a quick confirmation back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She wanted to tell Jeremy everything. She had gotten up the courage to tell him last night about her crush on Nicole before they were interrupted by Champ, so she held onto that and promised herself she would tell him everything today before she ended up exploding. He always gave good advice, so she was hoping he could give her some direction._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Waverly closed out of the messaging app and opened up her contacts, typing in the number on the paper with a grin and hovering over the name bar. She didn’t want to enter Nicole’s name in fear that someone else would see it and put her job at risk. So for now, she just put a heart._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________So incredibly cliche,_ She thought. _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Putting her phone in her purse and noticing she felt quite chilled, Waverly made her way to the bathroom to take a warm shower. The chills weren’t out of the ordinary for her because she tended to always be cold, but she felt kind of light headed too._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Shaking off the feeling, she hopped in the shower before changing and heading downstairs, feeling much better. She had peeked into Wynonna’s room to see her sister still passed out--now in her own bed. Waverly was thankful that whenever she had moved from the couch to the living room it had been after Nicole had left and Waverly was home so there wouldn’t be any interrogation from the older one._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She normally was up and gone before Wynonna got up, so she wasn’t worried about letting her know where she was. If she needed her, she would call._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Grabbing her keys and heading out the door, she breathed in the fresh scent of the country air after a rainstorm and tried to remember the last time she felt this… okay. Just last night she was caught in the pouring rain feeling cold, broken, and helpless. All it took was one person to turn that all around._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She smiled to herself as she got in her jeep and pulled out of the driveway._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________**************************_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I’m telling you Jer, I’ve never felt like this with anyone else in my life,” Waverly emphasized, taking a bite of her food and humming at the satisfaction_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Waverly had picked her best friend up a little early due to her quick realization that refraining from eating for hours on end while going through a traumatic experience had eventually caught up with her. Her stomach was growling like crazy._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Maybe that was why I woke up not feeling well._ She concluded_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________In the time that they had driven to the diner and placed their order, Waverly had informed Jeremy of everything that had happened starting from when she had left his party with Champ. She had to ease his anger after she told him about Champ hitting her, because Jeremy was about ready to kill the guy._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She had also told him all about her feelings for Nicole, and the bonding night they had just shared only a handful of hours before. She looked up to see a shit-eating grin staring back at her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Oh my-- Lee, you totally had THE night,” Jeremy gushed_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“What do you mean?” She gave him a confused grin_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“You know, one of _those_ nights. The one where two people realize their feelings for each other and they talk for hours and they learn all about the other person,” her best friend explained excitedly, “Did you learn about her family?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Tragically deceased parents… three siblings…. only one that she still talks to,” Waverly recalled from the night’s revelations_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Ahhh!” Jeremy squealed and bounced a little in his chair_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Okay okay but slow down, she didn’t realize feelings for me and… I just know I can’t feel this way,” She said, dropping her smile with a furrowed brow and picking up her tea to fiddle with the string, “She’s older, and my TEACHER. I feel so silly. She probably sees me as a helpless kid, and maybe that’s what I am because I can’t help the way I feel when I’m with her.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She paused for a moment, staring down at the cup in her hands._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“It’s stupid, really. I need to stop being delusional and get over it. I don’t know what’s wrong with me” She added with a sigh_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jeremy patiently listened to all of her worries._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Nothing is wrong with you,” Jeremy said finally with a soft smile, “your feelings are real and they’re valid. Teacher crushes are normal because an attraction to an authoritative role comes naturally, but it’s even more understandable now that you know her on a deeper level and feel like you can trust or connect with her in that way.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I guess so… but even if there was ever a chance that she would like me back, which there isn’t, she would be risking her job. I think she already is by giving me her number and being here for me.” Her voice lowered_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Wait… she gave you her number?” He inquired_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Oh yeah, I accidentally left that part out. She said she wasn’t technically allowed to give it to me but she wanted me to call her if I was having a bad day,” Waverly blushed at the thought of Nicole kissing her head before she left_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Dude, that’s cute as shit,” Jeremy grinned, “Not gonna lie, I kind of ship Wayhaught already”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Wayhaught, seriously. Did you just now come up with that?” The brunette rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but smile at the thought of actually having a relationship with Nicole_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Sure did. I’ll be taking over as the captain of this ship,” Her best friend said seriously, pulling his hand up to his head in a salute_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Shut up, you’re so gay” She joked right back, laughing as she took another sip of her tea._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“No but seriously, I want you to be careful. You know I’m 100% in favour of your happiness so that’s what I’m gonna support, but you have to keep in mind that even though you’re almost 18, you guys are in different stages of life and she has her line of work to consider,” Jeremy offered in a soft but more mature tone, “So I say, hypothetically, just take things as they come and focus on building a kickass friendship with her. If you guys want to date later, supposedly after graduation, then you’re in the clear and would have a great foundation to start on.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Waverly absorbed his verbality with thoughtful look on her face. She knew he was right, she would never want to put Nicole’s job in jeopardy and even though she’s not even sure the woman would ever even like her back, she needs to be respectful of anywhere she would think of taking their relationship._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Since when are you all grown up and shit,” Waverly decided to turn her reply into a comical one, deflecting any more heavy emotions rising to the surface, “Coming from the guy who’s in love with a seemingly 984 year old gunslinger,” She teased with a raised eyebrow, referring to his obsession with a certain actor._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jeremy gasped._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Um, excuse you. Rude. Doc Holliday is an timeless ICON,” The boy shot back defensively, holding up a pointing finger, “Don’t be disrespectful of my future husband”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The brunette laughed, holding her hands up in surrender._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Alright fine, whatever you say.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________***************************************************************_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Later that afternoon after Waverly had dropped her best friend off and driven back to her own house, she realized how crappy she really was feeling._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Her parents hated when she used to do this as a kid. If she ever got sick, she would completely block out the symptoms in her mind. It was usually so she wouldn’t have to miss a day of school. The young girl once had strep throat for 3 days before she finally acknowledged her inability to swallow anything._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Thankfully it’s Saturday_ She thought, _I have time to shake whatever this is._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She sat on the couch and let herself assess what she was feeling._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Chills, exhaustion, chest pain…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Fuck._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Waverly realized that she most likely had a really bad cold from her night in the rain, if not pneumonia. Come to think of it, she had been suppressing coughs at lunch with Jeremy and was currently cold-sweating more by the minute._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Picking herself up off of the couch, she walked to the kitchen in hopes of finding a thermometer, but after about 20 minutes and a lot of torn apart drawers, her search resulted in disappointment and a worse headache than when she started._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She leaned against the counter and decided to call Wynonna and ask, even though she knew her older sister wouldn’t know where anything was._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Hey babygirl, your phone works?” Wynonna answered directly_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Yeah, why wouldn’t it?” Waverly questioned right back_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I saw it in a bag of rice this morning.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Waverly cringed as the pounding rose in her skull._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Yeah I dropped it in a puddle getting out of the car, but it’s fine now. Hey listen do you have any idea where the thermometer is? I can’t find it anywhere in the kitchen,” Waverly spoke quickly, hoping to finish the conversation and go lay down_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“We threw it out remember? It broke when that drawer by the fridge fell apart and we didn’t replace it.. Why do you need it, are you sick?” Wynonna questioned with concern in her voice. She knew it was really rare for Waverly to admit that she was feeling ill._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Not feeling great. It’s probably nothing, just being cautious.” Waverly said curtly, wanting to change the subject. “Where are you?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Oh..kay..” The older sister answered, already thinking of a way to get her the supplies she needed, “I’m gonna be gone for a couple days remember? I’m driving to Calgary to pick up the parts I ordered for my bike. I’m already almost there.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Right I forgot,” Waverly said with a sigh. She didn’t know whether to feel stressed that Wynonna wasn’t going to be here or relieved that she wouldn’t have to worry about asking her sister for help while she was sick. “Alright well have a safe trip, I’m just gonna lay down and let this feeling pass.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Are you sure you’re okay? I can get someone to bring you a thermometer if you’re not well enough to drive,” Wynonna offered_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“No really it’s fine, I am.” Waverly lied. She could barely stay standing without feeling like she’d pass out. “I’ll go get one in a few minutes.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Okay, well call me if you feel any worse.” Her sister requested before saying goodbye and hanging up._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Waverly grabbed a glass of water and a couple aspirin as she walked back to the living room. Suddenly feeling very chilled, she didn’t need a thermometer to infer that she had some kind of fever. Swallowing the pills and setting the water down, she pulled the duvet off of it’s resting place on the back of the couch and wrapped it tightly around her body. She normally slept with layers of blankets but was frankly too exhausted to climb the stairs to her bed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The brunette was glad that Wynonna had decided for whatever reason to build a fire before she left. Fall nights in Purgatory could get quite chilly and she assumed that her sister wanted to make sure the house was warm enough. Tossing some more logs on the flames, she curled up on the couch and succumbed to the welcomed slumber._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________**********************************************************_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Waverly woke up to what she thought was a knocking sound, but couldn’t register where it was coming from. Her head felt heavy and fogged over as she opened her eyes to see the flickering flames that seemed to be 20 feet away from her and drawing closer._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She barely registered the sound of a door unlock and close, but couldn’t take her eyes off of the moving flames._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Waves?” A concerned voice reached her ears. It sounded like it was coming through a tunnel but in a split second she recognized it to belong to Nicole._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“He-- hey” Waverly turned her stiff neck to look up at her while she tried to sit up, feeling weight on her chest and lightheadedness flush through her brain. “What are you doing here?” She asked in a small voice as she squinted to try and focus her eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Wynonna called me when you didn’t answer her calls and she said to come check on you because you were sick. She sounded really worried... For good reason I see” Nicole sat on the edge of the couch, close to Waverly’s chest as she reached up to press the back of her hand against the girl’s sweaty forehead and cheeks. A fire sparked under her skin, and Waverly couldn’t tell if it was from the obvious fever or the fact that her body just exploded under the redhead’s touch._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Jesus Waves, you’re burning up,” Nicole said in a gentle tone laced with concern, “Good thing I came prepared,” she said with a small smile. She placed a bag Waverly didn’t notice she was carrying on the coffee table in front of them and reached into it, grabbing a thermometer and walking to the kitchen to open it. She also grabbed a washcloth out of one of the many drawers Waverly had torn through earlier._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Waverly took this opportunity to pick up her phone on the side table where she left it. The squinted against the bright light to see she had a bunch of missed calls and texts from Wynonna. The last one informed that she was worried and sending Nicole to check up on her, and in her words, _don’t be a jackass and just let her help you._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Waverly rolled her eyes and burst into a fit of coughs before typing back slowly, _She’s here, and I hate you._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She glanced at the clock at the top of her screen to see that it was now 8:30PM. She had fallen asleep for a couple hours, and now she was feeling worse than ever. Everything sounded like it was underwater, she was chilled but sweating a lot, and her mind was playing tricks on her by making everything look unfocused and farther away than they actually were. Plus, to make everything better, now she was coughing up a lung._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________As much as she usually tried never to let people see that she needed help, she knew she couldn’t even help herself at the moment._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Nicole came back into the living room and sat back on the edge of the couch next to where Waverly was sitting up._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Here, open,’ She urged softly as she placed the tip of the thermometer in the younger girl’s mouth._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________They held eye contact as they waited. Waverly’s eyes were hazy and dark grey instead of their usual vibrant green, and Nicole reached up to lightly brush some sticking hairs out of her face. The touch was light, and the girl’s face tingled from the contact. That and her racing heart were the only benign things her body was feeling at the moment._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The thermometer beeped and Nicole took the device out of her mouth, glancing at the display screen._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________102.1_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Nicole gave a pained look to the screen as she placed the cap back on and set it down on the table. She then grabbed the washcloth that she had soaked in lukewarm water and pressed it against Waverly’s forehead, laying another one on the back of her neck and gently pushing her back to lay against the pillows._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Why.. warm?” Waverly breathed, trying to hold in the coughs threatening to escape_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“A cool cloth might send your body into more chills,” Nicole explained, “If you use lukewarm, then it draws the heat out gradually. Have you taken anything yet?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Aspirin at like… I don’t know, 6?” Waverly answered slowly “But really Nicole I’ll be fine, I appreciate your help, but you’ve done so much for me already. I can take care of myself.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“So, another hour or so until you can take more,” She glanced at her watch and temporarily disregarded the other girl’s comment, “and don’t be ridiculous. A degree higher and you should be in the hospital. I know you can take care of yourself, but you need to just let me help you. I have a feeling you don’t do that often.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The brunette sighed at her ability to see right through her again. Her body threw into another set of coughs before she could surrender with her own words._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I’ll be right back,” Nicole said, leaving the house and coming back moments later with a stethoscope in her hand_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Do you just.. Keep one of those in your car?” Waverly asked with a laugh, but immediately regretting it when she started coughing again_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Yeah actually, fun fact I got my CNA in high school and used to work at a hospital,” The older woman placed the earpieces in her ears and asked her to sit up a little, “Is this okay?” She politely asked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Waverly’s heart swelled at her need for consent for even such a small thing. She nodded and Nicole lifted the back of her shirt a little bit to place the diaphragm against her back. The metal was cold but welcome against Waverly’s hot skin._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She breathed deeply to the best of her ability and watched Nicole’s face for signs of reaction._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Well the good thing is your lungs sound pretty good, I don’t hear any crackling so I don’t think it’s pneumonia,” The woman reported optimistically as she took the earpieces out and set it back in the bag. She then took a bottle of water and a bottle of gatorade out of her bag, putting straws in them and handing one to her, “But you’re going to have to drink a LOT of fluids”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Alright I can manage that,” Waverly smiled softly and attempted a joke, “I am an Earp after all.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Nicole chuckled and pushed a section of bangs behind her own ear as she took some more things out of her bag. Waverly took a moment to just take her in. She looked stunning in the dark washed jeans that accentuated her curves and a big-fitting maroon sweater with a layered collar that looked so soft Waverly just wanted to curl up in it forever._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________It so didn’t help that it was a known fact when Waverly got sick all she wanted to do was cuddle and cling to someone._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Well, maybe only known by her family… but still._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________At least she had years of practice resisting that urge with Champ. Although, he was never around when she got sick. He’d text her something along the lines of getting well soon so he could “have his baby back” before the next rodeo, but that was about it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________No one has taken care of her like Nicole is right now._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She shook away those thoughts as more chills racked through her body._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“The sun’s about to set and I assume you want to be down here by the fire instead of in your room?” Nicole inquired and received a nod back, “Okay well I’ll go grab you some more blankets then. Keep drinking.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She walked up the stairs to Waverly’s room and scooped up all of the blankets on her bed. As she held them, she paused to breathe deeply. This was the second night in a row she was spending with Waverly, who was still her student. Which was probably wrong… so why did it feel so right?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She couldn’t help but notice the sense of family she got when she was around them. Taking care of Waverly while she was sick, talking to her all night sharing stories, hanging out with Wynonna when she needed to destress. Her parents were gone and two out of three of her siblings had cut her off after she came out to them. Pretty much the only time she talked to the one brother that didn’t was a bi-annual checkup to see if they were both still alive and to share some small talk._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________It was so comforting to be with people who she cared about and who cared about her right back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The problem was, her mind screamed at her not to get too close. Not to get hurt. Her feelings for Waverly were ever-growing and the more comfortable he got with the Earps, the more her mind told her to leave before she inevitably got hurt or hurt them._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________But for now,_ she told herself, _Waverly needs you._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Pulling herself out of her thoughts, she readjusted the blankets in her arms and made her way downstairs. The sight at the bottom stopped her in her tracks. Waverly was asleep curled up on the couch with one hand cushioning her head and the other holding her gatorade._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Nicole smiled and her heart swelled at the image. She looked absolutely adorable._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Walking quietly over to the couch, she set the bundle of blankets on the end by the girl’s feet and bent down to gently take the gatorade from her hand. Placing it back on the coffee table, she pulled the blankets over Waverly’s shivering body one by one._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Finally, she took the time to let her guard down and push some boundaries. She gently brushed away the stray hairs sticking to the girl’s feverish skin and let her thumb linger there, stroking her cheek ever so slightly as she absorbed Waverly’s face into memory. She realized she looked much younger as she slept, her lips twitching slightly and facial muscles relaxed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________She is so beautiful._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Nicole quickly pulled her hand away as Waverly shifted in her sleep, pulling the blankets tighter to her body._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Her heart ached for the girl. She hated to see her so sick._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She decided to just let her sleep for awhile until she could wake her up to take some antibiotics. Nicole left her space on the edge of the couch and walked a couple feet away, lowering herself into the recliner. She noticed the beautiful sunset appearing out the window and smiled at that comforting feeling rising back in her chest. Something about being here with Waverly… even if she was passed out on the couch… just felt so amazing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Nicole had lived through a lot of bad in her life so when the good came along, she wanted to cling to it and never let it go._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Waverly was the epitome of good things._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Her phone interrupted her thoughts with a vibration, alerting her of a message from Wynonna asking if everything was okay._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Yes, she’s sleeping right now. High fever but we’re bringing it down and I’ll wake her up for some meds in a bit._ Nicole replied to ease the her friend’s worries. _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She was returned with thanks and gratefulness, to which she ruled as unnecessary and assured her, _“What else are friends for?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She turned on a quiet alarm for a couple hours later to wake Waverly up for some medicine and leaned back in the recliner to rest._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The older woman didn’t make it to the alarm before the sound of coughing woke her up. She opened her eyes to see Waverly holding her chest and groaning quietly. Nicole pushed down the chair’s footrest and rushed over to the girl’s side._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Hey I’ve got you, drink some water,” Nicole soothed and rubbed her back gently._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“My body aches and my head feels like it’s gonna explode,” Waverly groaned before she could stop herself_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Well it’s..” Nicole glanced at her watch, “Pretty much time for you to take some more medicine. When was the last time you ate?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“At 3, I went to lunch with Jeremy.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Well some soup or something might make you feel a little more stable. Do you want any tea? I brought some NeoCitran. It works wonders for colds.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Waverly giggled softly at Nicole’s caring nature. She was totally in her element right now._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“That all sounds great, thank you” The brunette answered with a weak grin._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Nicole nodded and carried her bag of tricks to the kitchen as Waverly kept coughing and turned on the TV. She flicked through Netflix before she landed on The Notebook. Selecting the title, she sat cross-legged and leaned against the back of the couch. By the time Nicole had come back in the room with her food, Waverly had already dozed off again sitting up. Nicole laughed at the site and setting down the tray, placed a soft hand on the girl’s shoulder to get her attention._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Hey sleepyhead, your soup’s ready,” She said as Waverly furrowed her brows in sleepy confusion._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________She is so beautiful._ The thought arose again in her mind. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She knew if anyone was watching them right now she’s probably have the biggest heart eyes ever right now but she didn’t even care. At the moment it felt like they were the only ones in existence._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Thank you,” Waverly spoke with a little rasp and her voice cracking, “so much. For all of this. You really don’t know how much this means to me.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She of course was referring to her past, but the delicate smile on Nicole’s face washed all her concerns away along with a simple promising word._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Always.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Waverly was overwhelmed by how much she wanted to curl up and cry. She refrained, of course, from letting her emotions get the best of her actions, but she couldn’t help a few tears from welling up in her eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Hey, what's wrong?” The older woman rushed over and sat next to her on the couch, laying her hand ever so slightly on her wrist._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Truth is, she was trying just as hard not to let her actions speak from her emotions and cross more boundaries._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Nothing, I’m so sorry,” Waverly laughed at herself while wiping a tear from her eye. She debated just making a joke of it and blaming it on her choice of movie, but decided to just be honest, “I always get sooo over emotional and clingy when I don’t feel well.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Don’t worry, I understand,” Nicole laughed right back, “I used to literally just koala hug my dog when I got sick.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“You had a dog?” Waverly inquired, changing the subject and pulling herself together enough to eat a bit of her soup that had now cooled down._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Yeah, I rescued a border collie from the shelter because she was about to be put down,” She smiled at the thought of her first dog, “I kept her hidden for like 3 weeks in our barn but then my dad found her when I was at school one day. Surprisingly, he let me keep her in the house. He said it was because we had cows that needed rounding but I knew he secretly loved her. We named her Bella and she was such a good dog. Skittish at first but once she warmed up to me she was very cuddly and loving.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Waverly smiled as she listened to the woman talk about her old pet but froze as she was reminded of something._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Wait, shit,” She cursed without thinking, “What about the kitten is she okay at home by herself?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Yes,” Nicole laughed lovingly at the girl’s sudden worry, “But she’s not alone. Sheriff Nedley is watching her. I brought her in with me to the police station one day when I went to get some paperwork and he totally fell in love with her. He practically jumped at the opportunity to watch her this weekend.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“He’s such a teddy bear.” Waverly agreed. She’d grown up with him around a lot. He was friends with her parents and she used to be really close friends with his daughter, Chrissy. The girls were still friends. They were on the cheerleading team together, but they weren’t as close as they used to be._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“How are you feeling? Do you need anything else?” Nicole inquired_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Like I got hit by a truck to be honest, but I’m having less fever hallucinations and chills so..” She dismissed and turned her attention back to the movie._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________An hour later, after Waverly had finished up the soup and taken her medicines, she was looking sleepier than ever. The Notebook was still playing in the background and Nicole had added more logs to the fire, which was the only other light source in the room besides the TV._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Without even thinking, Nicole grabbed one of the pillows from her position at the end of the couch and set it on her lap._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Waves you’re about to fall snap your neck if you keep dozing off, why don’t you lay down?” She asked and tapped the pillow_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She knew they were well over the boundaries and she also knew how much it sucked to be so sick and just want to snuggle up with someone. This way, they could be close without really going overboard._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Besides, Waverly looked too exhausting to even think of anything contradicting and welcomed the offer instantly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Pulling the blankets tighter around her she stretched out, pushing her feet against the other arm of the couch and laying her head down in Nicole’s lap._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Nicole picked her feet up to rest them on the coffee table and mindlessly combed her fingers through Waverly’s silky hair. She always loved when people played with her hair. It made her sleepy, so she thought she’d try it with the girl._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Within seconds, Waverly was fast asleep._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Well that was easy._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Nicole sat in the quiet of the moment as Noah recited the final lines in the background._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________“I think our love can do anything we want it to.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Call her crazy, but she could definitely get used to this. Curled up with her fingers running through a sleeping Waverly’s hair by the fire and watching some hopelessly romantic movie. Watching the slow rise and fall of her chest._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________But she wouldn’t. Because they were teacher and student. And for now, Waverly needed her as a friend more than she needed her romantically._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She hadn’t even known her for that long but for some reason she couldn’t imagine her life without this girl in it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________It was then and there that she decided she would be here in Waverly’s life as whatever she could be, for as long as she would have her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Because… she loves her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Shit._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Nicole’s hand froze in its place._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________I love her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so I'm debating-- because I have two plots in my head of where to take this. please let me know!! should I:  
> make it a slow burn of "kickass friendship" to love  
> OR  
> find a way for them to be together sooner because hi hello they love each other 
> 
> they have to go back to school soon RIP to this long ass eventful weekend :(


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